Between the Bars - Chapter 3/?
Title: Between the Bars - Chapter 3/?
Author: electric_wish
Category: AU
Characters/Pairing: Zac Efron/Shia LaBeouf, Taylor Lautner, Jared Padalecki, Milo Ventimiglia, Meryl Streep, and Leonardo DiCaprio, with Ashley Tisdale and George Clooney (Implied Zac Efron/Vanessa Hudgens)
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Slash, non-con(rape)
Disclaimer: This never, ever happened. It's fiction!
Summary: Prison AU, none of the central characters are famous. When a young man, Zac Efron, is sent to prison for a crime he says he didn't commit, his life will never be the same again. Featuring Shia LaBeouf as Zac's cellmate, Meryl Streep as Zac's lawyer, and Leonardo DiCaprio as the Prison Warden.
Chapter 3
Zac jolted awake from a horrible dream - he had been being chased by a strange green cloud of gas around an asylum, which had eventually caught him and then all of his teeth fell out. Recalling it, Zac shook his head. Strange, he thought, I haven’t had a nightmare since the age of fourteen. The nightmare in question had been about having to give a speech to his class about healthy eating. Zac shuddered from the memory of it, the nightmare already fading away.
He was laying on his bunk, not under the flimsy blanket, his arm hanging out the side. It was then that he remembered that he had been having a conversation with Shia about how he had once thought about becoming a singer, but he must have dozed off before finishing. He sat up in bed and listened, straining to try and hear Shia’s soft breaths. But he couldn’t hear anything from the top bunk.
Zac slipped out of his bunk and stood up. Shia wasn’t there, and he clearly wasn’t anywhere in the cramped cell. Suddenly concerned, Zac wondered where his cellie had gone. It was still the middle of the night and most of the other prisoners were still asleep in their respective cells. Zac could hear that some of the inmates were whispering around the cell block, not yet asleep. But there was no where they could go - so where the hell was Shia?
A feeling of dread came over him - what if something had happened to Shia in his sleep and he had to be taken away to see the prison doctor? Shia had become a sort of security blanket for Zac during the past two days, he had kept him safe and kept him in the know about who to avoid around the prison, both inmates and guards included. There was also the matter of the feelings that Zac was beginning to have for his new friend, strange feelings that Zac wasn’t used to. He hoped that Shia was okay, and that someday maybe he could act on those feelings.
He sat in the dark and waiting for his cellmate to return.
~~~
Leaning back in the armchair, Shia couldn’t help but feel slightly smug about the situation. It was one thing that he had successfully kept his cover up to this point, but it was a much bigger victory for him to see the Warden in the state he was now in. At last, the all-powerful Warden had someone bigger to look up to and take orders from.
The FBI executive, a man going by the name of Clooney wearing a rich suit and shiny black shoes, had the type of presence that could immediately silence a room. Right now, that sort of intimidation was having the Warden sit tight lipped as he explained the fragility of the job that Shia was attempting to do. So far, Warden DiCaprio had been laden down with protocols and back story about both Shia and the Ventimiglia family. The criminal activities that the Ventimiglia group had gotten up to shocked even Shia, who had heard most of the stories a hundred times over in briefings.
“The thought that we might be able to bring down this crime gang is, as you will no doubt agree, very fetching.” Clooney continued. Shia held back a grin at DiCaprio’s serious expression. No doubt this meeting had set some of DiCaprio’s plans back a couple of hours. “Shia’s mission is top secret, and only a handful of people know about it. A handful of people and now you, Warden.” Clooney finished. “Do you have any questions at this point?”
Shia could imagine that he could have anywhere between one and a thousand questions to ask after the quantity of information he had just received. The question DiCaprio asked, however, made it crystal clear to Shia how the Warden would be handling the situation. “Do I have to give LaBeouf special treatment?”
“Actually, we’d prefer if you didn’t. It would help his cover if he wasn’t seen on your good side.” Clooney said. Shia inwardly cursed, knowing that the Warden would take personal pleasure in making Shia’s time here hell and passing it off as helping the case. “But no one else can know what Shia is doing. If more people find out, it endangers his mission and puts him in serious danger.”
“Very well,” DiCaprio said with a smile. “I understand.”
“Shia,” Clooney said, turning to look at him, “remember that Milo will most likely be in here for only a couple of months. These guys are very slippery, and I reckon that some money will change hands before long and he’ll be out of here. You’ll be out of here soon after, and it’s your job to find him and resume working for him on the outside.”
Shia nodded. He knew the plan inside out at this stage, he knew the risks. “And once I’m in with the group, I have to start collecting evidence to bring them down.” He shrugged. “Easy peasy.”
Clooney nodded. Giving Shia a firm handshake before moving on to the Warden, he removed his shades from his suit pocket and put them on. He nodded to them. “Gentlemen.” He said, before leaving the office.
Warden DiCaprio stayed seated while Shia got to his feet. “I’d better head back to the cell block then,” Shia said, “before anyone gets suspicious.”
DiCaprio nodded and gestured to the door. “You do that.” When Shia had the door open, he spoke again: “Just so as you know, this changes nothing. As far as I’m concerned, you’re still a prisoner in my jail, and I intend to treat you as one.”
“Good.” Shia said. “Then maybe there’s hope for me yet.”
~~~
Zac was still awake and waiting when the cell door slid open and Shia entered. Shia looked surprised and guilty when he spotted Zac sitting there on the bottom bunk, eyes fixed on the cell door. Zac was just glad to see that he was alright. “Where were you?” Zac asked in a hushed voice.
Shia smiled at him and pulled himself up onto the top bunk. “The Warden wanted to see me.”
“What? Why?”
“Apparently he found out about the little incident in the yard today between me and Taylor. I think the Warden might be a little bit anti-Taylor, you know, he thinks he’s a psycho too.” Shia said, laying down. “I was just glad I wasn’t in any trouble.”
Zac lay down. The second his head hit the pillow he yawned. “Me too. I was worried.”
On the top bunk, Shia couldn’t help but smile.
~~~
The yawning librarian had barely unlocked the doors to the library when Meryl bustled through them, heading directly for the research areas. When she was seated behind a computer, she immediately searched for newspaper articles on the Efron case, right back to the date the murder was discovered. It was interesting to see how public opinion had immediately been against Zac - from the start he had been labelled guilty, with sources dubbing him as emotionally unstable.
When she finally located the article she had been looking for, Meryl quickly scanned it for key words, using the technique she had learned during her first year at college. It got the job done far quicker. The article read:
“Trial for Murderer Boyfriend Begins”
The murder that has shocked the state from its inception will take place tomorrow. Vanessa Hudgens (21) was brutally murdered by her boyfriend, Zac Efron (22), earlier this year. The motive for the attack is unknown, and Efron insists that he is innocent. “I didn’t kill her, I loved her” he said according to sources. His pleads for innocence are being understandably scoffed at, due to the conclusive evidence stacked against him. For one, forensics has discovered Efron’s fingerprints on the murder weapon, a kitchen knife, at the scene. Also, a witness has come forward placing Efron at the scene. “I saw him leave [Vanessa’s] house that night. An hour later the police showed up and I told them what I saw,” the anonymous source said.
Meryl frowned. She could have sword that the witness’ name had been released. She sighed and began to search through the other articles on the case, certain that the name was there. She remembered seeing her at the trial - who could forget that blonde hair? - but couldn’t recall her name. Suddenly she found it, written in an article published two days after Zac was labelled as guilty. Scribbling it down on a piece of paper, Meryl began to search for the young woman’s address.
It was time to see if her instincts had been right all along.
~~~
Zac sat at the table in the mess hall, poking the food around the tray with his fork. He still wasn’t up for eating the sorry excuse for food that they were all given, despite how weak he was feeling due to lack of eating. Shia was still in line waiting to get food, and Zac watched as he inched forward as the inmates ahead of him were being served. He was about to get up and tell Shia that he can just have his food, when he got tapped on the shoulder from behind.
Looking up, Zac saw the massive form of officer Padalecki standing beside him. “Come with me,” the officer said. “We’ve gotta talk.” Padalecki started to walk away towards the mess hall door. Taking one last look at Shia, still in the queue, Zac sighed and followed after the tall guard.
Padalecki led Zac down an unfamiliar hallway and through a door marked “Maintenance.” Inside the concrete floored room, pipes lay about the floor and a generator buzzes loudly in the corner. In front of Zac, however, stood Taylor and two of his cronies. Padalecki nodded to Taylor and turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Zac stood frozen on the spot as Taylor’s two henchmen moved behind him to guard the door. Taylor approached him with a cocky grin.
“Newbie, I think it’s time we had a chat about how things work around here.” Taylor said. Zac said nothing, using all of his strength trying not to let his terror show. “You see, I know how your buddy Shia is going to react once our friend from the Ventimiglia family parades in here. He’s never been my biggest fan, so I know what side of the fence he’s going to jump onto.” Taylor ran a finger along Zac’s cheek, while licking his lips. Zac resisted the urge to bolt for the door and try his luck with the prisoners guarding it.
“But you,” Taylor continued, “are a different story... You’re new. Zac, isn’t it?” Zac didn’t give him the satisfaction of replying. “Zac, loyalty is a fickle thing, especially in a place like this. So when Milo what’s-his-face arrives here, which side do you plan on being on? His? Or mine?”
Zac shook his head and risked a smile. Everything Shia had said the day before about Milo ran through his mind - “He’s used to getting his way” and more importantly, “his side is going to win.” Zac looked Taylor in the eye, and Taylor gave him a wink.
“So what’ll it be, Zac?”
“I’m sorry, Taylor,” Zac said, “but I intend to be on the winning side.”
Whack! Zac’s head swam for a moment after Taylor had punched him in the face. Suddenly he was grabbed from behind by one of Taylor’s crew, holding his arms back and allowing Taylor another free punch. “Are you sure you don’t want to change your mind?” Taylor asked menacingly, cracking his knuckles. When Zac said nothing, he was hit again.
Zac spat blood. His cheek felt like it was on fire, and he was struggling to stay on his feet. He struggled against the arms that held him, but he wasn’t able to free himself. “Fuck you,” Zac said weakly, his voice cracking.
“Get him on his knees.” Taylor ordered. The man holding Zac shoved him down, his knees hitting the concrete floor. Taylor stood above him, shaking his head with a smirk. “Well, if you can’t see it my way...” Taylor unzipped his pants and Zac’s struggles started afresh.
The man holding Zac laughed as Taylor took himself out of his underwear and stroked himself to hardness. Zac tilted his head to get away, but Taylor held his head straight with one strong, firm hand. Zac felt his eyes begin to water, desperate to get away. “Please, Taylor, no, just -”
Taylor groaned above him. “Just do what I want and it’ll all be over, Zac.”
Zac kept his mouth shut tight as Taylor’s cock pressed against his lips, already leaking pre-come. When Taylor pulled sharply on his hair, Zac opened his mouth to yell in pain, and Taylor immediately began fucking his mouth. Zac gagged, tears rolling down his cheeks, as the muscled man above him violated his mouth again and again. Taylor moaned from the pleasure of Zac’s mouth, tight and warm. “Oh yeah... Fuck that’s a hot mouth...” Taylor groaned, already approaching orgasm as he continued thrusting into Zac’s mouth. Taylor pulled out before he came, shooting his load on Zac’s cheek with a loud groan.
The man holding Zac let him go, laughing as Taylor zipped his pants back up. They left him alone in the room as Zac vomited on the concrete floor, tears still flowing down his bruised face.
~~~
Meryl strolled into the boutique, doing her best to appear casual and not interested. On the rails were the usual overpriced dresses and outfits that Meryl knew would sell just for the brand attached to them, rather than the price. In the corner of the shop, arranging clothes by size was a young blonde woman with her back to her, wearing the black uniform also worn by the rest of the staff. Meryl slowly made her way towards her, not sure if this was the woman she had been looking for.
It hadn’t been easy tracking her down, but once she had the name she had found it easy enough to get her address. Meryl had tracked the apartment in question down and had knocked on the door to find that only her roommate was in. She had told Meryl that the young blonde worked here at the boutique, and so Meryl’s hunt continued. But now it looked like at last she could get some answers.
The young woman turned around to head back to the register and Meryl caught a look at her face. She remembered her from the trial. A badge pinned on her chest had the name ‘Ashley’ written on it, confirming it for Meryl. When Meryl approached her, Ashley looked up with a smile, until a sudden look of recognition crossed her face.
“Excuse me,” Meryl said, “but are you Ms. Tisdale?”
Ashley nodded, her eyes darting around the room, searching.
“I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions -” Meryl started, but she was interrupted.
“Not here.” Ashley said. “Not now. There are too many people about.”
Meryl frowned. “Do you know who I am?”
“Yes. I remember you. But we can’t talk here. Not in the open.”
Meryl nodded slowly. Ashley was definitely afraid of something, and Meryl couldn’t help but take a look around the boutique for anything suspicious. What have I gotten myself into, Meryl thought to herself. “Alright. Where would be better?”
Ashley looked down at something at the till and muttered. “My apartment. Tomorrow night.” Picking up a number of ‘sale’ tags, Ashley went back to work. Meryl quickly made her exit, spending the next half an hour walking in a circuit back to her car to ensure that she wasn’t followed.
As she drove away, Meryl unconsciously checked her rear view mirrors over and over, paranoia sinking in. Ashley was afraid for a reason, and it seemed to support Meryl’s thoughts that her witness statement at the trial had indeed been a lie. But the most important question remained: why?
~~~
When Zac finally arrived back at his cell, his eyes bloodshot and his cheek bruised, Shia shot up from his seated position on Zac’s bunk, concern written all over his face.
“What the hell happened?!” Shia exclaimed, examining Zac’s cheek. Zac tried to push him away, tried to pass it off as nothing, but he couldn’t fight it for long. The event was still fresh in his mind. He had never felt so violated, disgraced or humiliated in his entire life. When Shia kept asking him, voice full of worry, Zac broke down into a flood of tears. Shia held him in a tight embrace as Zac cried into his shoulder, whispering to him that it would all be okay.
When he had finally controlled his sobbing, Zac told him everything that had happened, not able to look his friend in the eye as the story drew to a close. Shia was furious. He stood at the cell door and gripped the bars tight, his jaw clenched. “I’m gonna kill him. I’m gonna fucking kill him.” Shia muttered.
Sitting on his bunk, Zac shook his head. “No, look... Just let it go. Please? You’ll just make it worse.”
Shia spun around, a look of disbelief on his face. “Let it go? He fucking raped you, Zac!” Zac’s lip quivered and Shia sat down next to him. He put an arm around him, trying to make him feel safe. “Don’t worry. I’m here to protect you.” Shia said.
Zac turned to look Shia in the eye, wanting to show his appreciation, but instead couldn’t help himself - he kissed his cellmate, pressing his lips against his. To his surprise, Shia kissed him back, pressing back against Zac’s mouth. Shia put a hand on Zac’s neck, smoothing his thumb against the soft skin.
When they backed away, Shia smiled at the shy look on Zac’s face. Zac’s eyes were stained red from all the crying he had been doing, but his eyes were bluer than ever. “You okay?” Shia asked, and a short laugh escaped Zac’s mouth.
“Yeah.” Zac said. “I think I’m going to be just fine.”
They kissed again, forgetting about everything - about Taylor, about Milo, about Vanessa. All that had happened, Zac didn’t care in that moment. All he wanted was to be with Shia, his protector in the hell he had found himself trapped inside.
~~~
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